'Rocket City Rednecks' tries to put fun into science

Nov. 28, 2012
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The cast of National Geographic Channel's hit show "Rocket City Rednecks" watches star Travis Taylor detonate a test explosion. The series will premiere its second season Thursday. / Flight 33 and National Geographic Channel

by Yagana Shah, USA TODAY

by Yagana Shah, USA TODAY

Leave it to five Alabama-raised self-proclaimed rednecks and their rocket fuel to dispel Southern stereotypes as National Geographic Channel's show Rocket City Rednecks premieres its second season Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

"A lot of people don't know what rednecks are. Hollywood has convinced people it's a derogatory term with racial connotations, but it isn't," says the show's star, Travis Taylor, a scientist with the U.S. Army who has worked with NASA and the Department of Defense.

The term "redneck" originated from early Southern sharecroppers, who relied on farming for their livelihood, Taylor explains. "Rednecks are a hardworking, family-centric, clever and resourceful people. How is that anything other than a compliment?"

Taylor and his team, which is made up of scientists and machinists, put their heads together each week to solve engineering problems, such as crafting a superhero suit out of vacuum cleaners, a barbecue grill and some spray foam. Their goal: to make science fun again and show it's not just for "geeks and enthusiasts."

The do-it-yourself approach is a good way to inspire viewers, says Benjamin Longmier, assistant professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan. "The show embodies the spirit of taking everyday materials and using them in a specialized way to do amazing things." The can-do attitude the cast takes shows that you don't have to be a rocket scientist to do neat things, he says.

When he was in school, Taylor says, engineering and science were the cool, exciting fields. "Nowadays, physics and engineering departments are one-tenth of what they were 20 years ago," he says. The cast hopes to inspire viewers and get Americans, especially the next generation, excited about the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) again.

"Interest and knowledge in the STEM subjects is very important for individuals and for the country's future," says Michael Micci, professor of aeronautical engineering at Penn State.

It's particularly fitting that the show is based out of Huntsville, Ala., known to locals as "Rocket City," where the U.S. rocket program was launched at the end of World War II. Rockets that put the first U.S. satellite into orbit were developed in Huntsville, along with the moon program rockets. Micci says the show has the potential to draw in a younger audience with its emphasis on fun.

In the second season, the Rednecks hope to do just that with bigger explosions, more adrenaline and a healthy dose of competition, says cast member Rog Jones. The gang's competitive nature turns any task into a challenge, Jones says. Huntsville's fab five will put their heads together to tackle everything from launching a mile-high rocket to building a steam-powered catapult with late-night funnyman Jay Leno.

The camaraderie among the group is what makes the show work, Jones insists. "We get a problem, and you have people coming to it from five different directions ... Everyone thinks of things in different ways because they bring to the table different life experiences," he says.

But it's not all fun and games for the Rednecks. Last month, Taylor ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., wearing a 40-pound full-body armor suit to prove that troops can have safety without losing their mobility. Studies are showing that troops are losing their limbs in greater numbers than ever before, which suggests a need for full body protection, not just torso armor, says Taylor. "I'm hoping enough people saw what I did that it might trigger some folks to say this is right. ... We can figure this out and protect our soldiers who are doing so much for us."

The cause hits home for the cast. Taylor's older brother, whose son Michael, a machinist, is part of the cast, is in the Air Force and will be deployed to Afghanistan next year. Taylor's father, Charles, an original NASA machinist, and brother-in-law Pete, an optical scientist, are also part of the cast, making it a family affair. "It's personal to us ... We should do as much as we can to help the great American heroes that put themselves in harm's way for us," Taylor says.